Hundreds of Mareeba footy fanatics turned out to the Arthur Beetson Foundation’s Future Immortals Tour, hosted by Mulungu Health Service, to celebrate their love of the game and raise awareness of domestic and family violence (DFV).
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Bidgerdii Wellness Hub in Rockhampton has been open to the community for just over a year, with many inroads and connections being made. The Wellness Hub is a culturally safe space for Community to access allied health, social and emotional wellbeing, as well as support services in Elder care and NDIS.
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Kalwun Development Corporation marked a significant milestone in July, celebrating 30 years of “courage, commitment, and excellence” at a Gala Anniversary Dinner on the Gold Coast.
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Thirty-five years ago, Joy Savage began her health career with an administration role at Wuchopperen Health Service. Today, she is the proud Chief Executive Officer of the thriving organisation, completing a remarkable full-circle journey.
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With the Queensland election scheduled for Saturday October 26, Sector Leader contacted all top five political parties in Queensland — the ALP, LNP, Greens, One Nation and Katter’s Australia — seeking their election commitments to First Nation’s health in Queensland.
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The ACCHO sector is proud of the vital and necessary role it plays in the Queensland health sector. From the Torres Strait to the Gold Coast and as far west as Charleville and Mt Isa, the ACCHO sector provides comprehensive, holistic and culturally safe primary health care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in remote, regional and metropolitan areas.
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The Queensland Election could be a watershed moment for health equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Queensland, but will the next government seize the opportunity to make a difference? QAIHC Acting CEO Paula Arnol is calling for our elected leaders to work with and for our people.
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Queensland’s ACCHO sector is under pressure to support the mounting demand for services, including an increased patient caseload and the spiralling chronic disease burden impacting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. QAIHC Acting CEO Paula Arnol said funding for the ACCHO sector has never met the sector’s needs, despite national expenditure for health services tailored to the needs of Indigenous Australians increasing 38% from June 2011 to June 2020.
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The Commonwealth government handed down its 2024-2025 Budget on 14 May. How did First Nations health fare in this year’s budget announcements? Sector Leader investigates. Communicable disease control in Indigenous communities, mental health support and suicide prevention were the Albanese Government’s core commitments to First Nations health and wellbeing in the 2024-2025 Federal Budget.
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Bidgerdii Community Health Service is improving access to healthcare for mob in Central Queensland with the opening of two new clinics in Mt Morgan (Gaangalu Country) and Blackwater (Ghungalu Country). Bidgerdii CEO Marissa Smith said she was proud to see enhanced access to primary healthcare services and improved health outcomes for clients living in the Mount Morgan and Central Highlands communities.
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The community of St George in the Balonne Shire is celebrating a new specialised wellbeing facility for First Nations people. Managed by Goondir Health Services, the St George Community Wellbeing Centre hosts more than 40 programs and activities to support the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the area.
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QAIHC Youth Hub Network Coordinator Taeg Twist had the privilege of attending the United Nations...
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The Queensland Government’s Putting Queensland Kids First strategy offers QAIHC Members opportunities to benefit from investments supporting the health, wellbeing and growth of First Nations kids and their families.
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Community leaders from the Cape and Torres regions have welcomed the incorporation of the Cape and Torres Health Commissioning Ltd (CaTHC), a new health care commissioning entity for the area. CaTHC is an independent, community-controlled regional health care entity which will commission health services based on evidence and local community input.
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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers should be warned that the following article contains the name and image of a deceased Indigenous person.
Former QAIHC CEO Cleveland Fagan, who passed away on 10 June 2024, was well-known and respected in the ACCHO sector for his deep passion for health equity and improving the health outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
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Meet Whitney Cobbo and Jonathan Walsh, Youth Hub workers at Cherbourg Regional Aboriginal and...
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Health services and accommodation provider Mookai Rosie Bi-Bayan is celebrating the official opening of a new clinic location for its medical service in Earlville, Cairns, referred to as Mookai Family Health. Mookai Family Health will provide a new, fit-for-purpose home for Mookai Rosie’s medical service, which commenced operations 18 months ago. The service is available to all Torres Strait and Cape York clients including women and children, and now men.
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After a 30-year career in government and research in New South Wales, Carmen Parter is finally returning to her roots as the new Chief Executive Officer of Girudala Community Cooperative Society in Bowen.
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A new program in the Townsville region, including Palm Island, is ensuring Indigenous families get quicker access to care during the crucial first 1,000 days for women and children.
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More than 50 Members from across Queensland enjoyed comprehensive training in accreditation and human resources at QAIHC’s Strength in Connection Members Workshops at Stamford Plaza in late February.
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QAIHC and Central Queensland University will lead a first-of-its-kind healthcare pilot aimed at improving access for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to clinical genetics services. Led by QAIHC Principal Research Advisor, Greg Pratt, a proud Quandamooka man, the three-year project will implement an integrated healthcare model and referral pathway for better access to genetic health services for patients of Aboriginal community controlled health organisations (ACCHOs).
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Goondir Health Services has partnered with Origin Energy to deliver an innovative project that combines traditional barber experiences with counselling services. The Wunna Yarn, Wunna Cut Barber Shop program was officially launched at Tara Hospital on 28 February, accompanied by stalls, lunch, coffee and Rugby League legend Steve Renouf.
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Growing up in a two-and-a-half bedroom house with six siblings and no electricity, water or a fridge isn’t the easiest start in life, nor is it the easiest route to medicine. The one thing it did provide Gurriny-Yealamucka Health Service GP Registrar Dr Carli “CJ” Westmore is an understanding of some of the challenges, especially the social determinants of health, experienced by people living in Yarrabah.
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QAIHC Members have deepened their understanding of the aged care space and how it could enhance their health care offerings at the first QAIHC Aged Care Workshop at Rydges South Bank on 20 February. Triggered by a commitment set down at the QAIHC State Members’ Conference in December, the workshop was held to explore the history, challenges and opportunities for ACCHOs looking to explore new opportunities in the aged care space.
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Lead clinicians from across Queensland discussed a range of issues impacting the ACCHO sector at QAIHC’s Clinical Leaders Forum (CLF) face-to-face meeting in December.
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Deadly footy was the name of the game at the Murri v Koori Interstate Challenge, held on Saturday 24 February at the Logan Metro Sports Complex at Crestmead.
While the weekend was disappointing for most of Queensland’s sides, including the Open Men (Michael Purcell Memorial) losing to Walgett (4-46), Queensland’s Open Women (Mungindi Panthers) representatives were victorious in a nailbiter against the Newcastle Yowies (20-18).
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From health worker to chief executive officer, Noeleen Selke’s career is interwoven with one common thread — the holistic wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities.
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A Griffith University research project to help screen children and adolescents at risk of neurodevelopmental disorders has been successful in gaining a $5 million grant from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF). Led by Professor Dianne Shanley from Griffith University’s School of Applied Psychology, the project builds upon the recent $1.5 million NHMRC grant awarded last year for the Tracking Cube, which her team co-designed.
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Women who receive support through an Indigenous-led model of maternity care are three times less likely to have Indigenous newborn children removed by child protection services, new research has shown. It comes in the wake of a scathing Productivity Commission report which threw a spotlight on the failure by successive governments to reduce the issues of out-of-home care for Indigenous children.
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The increasing numbers of Indigenous children in prison is alarming and demands urgent action, according to Queensland’s Family and Child Commission (QFCC) commissioner Natalie Lewis.
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Applications are closing soon for a prestigious Indigenous medical scholarship that helped previous recipients an avenue to become prominent leaders in health and medicine.
The Australian Medical Association’s Indigenous Medical Scholarship was created in 1994 to help produce more First Nations doctors, who play critical roles in the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal people, especially those living in remote communities.
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Central Queensland University will receive almost $2 million through the federal government’s Medical Research Future Fund to support research into genetic services for Indigenous patients. The grant will support the university’s Jawun Research Centre on their Integrated Genetic HealthCare: Improving Access to Quality Genetic Services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Patients project.
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Gangalu man Thomas Watson, hailing from Katherine in the Northern Territory, wanted to establish a connection with his ancestral Gangulu country and language – a link denied to his grandmother during her childhood. In 2019, he embarked on his language journey during a family reunion in Gangulu country, central Queensland. To his surprise, he discovered that the Gungulu was no longer spoken by the community.
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For First Nations people, social and emotional wellbeing can depend on connection to land, culture, spirituality and community. Disruption to these values can be harmful. The most recent data show 24% of First Nations adults have been diagnosed with mental health or behavioural conditions. This is likely due to lasting and intergenerational effects of historical injustices, racial discrimination and cultural displacement.
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Aboriginal Health Worker Shaniqua Burke has discovered that hard work can get you places you never thought possible. The 21-year-old from Napranum in Queensland’s northern peninsula area credited hard work for helping her win Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year at the Queensland Training Awards this year. Now, with a Certificate III in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care from TAFE Queensland under her belt, the opportunities are limitless.
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Indigenous health leader Rachel Atkinson has devoted her life to championing the health and...
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Personalised treatments to address health inequalities experiences by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are a step closer after the most comprehensive analysis of Indigenous Australians’ genomes collected to date revealed an “abundance” of DNA variations within four northern Australian Aboriginal communities.
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Three Member services celebrated landmark anniversaries looking after their mob this year – ATSICHS Brisbane marked its 50 year anniversary, Mulungu Aboriginal Corporation in the Atherton Tablelands commemorated its 30 years anniversary and the Northern Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Alliance (NATSIHA) celebrated 20 years.
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Yarrabah Member service, Gindaja Treatment and Healing Centre, has taken to the global stage to...
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We’re shining a spotlight on QAIHC’s deadly Administration Officer and longest continually serving staff member, Jan Roma.
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Diabetes Australia has continued to work with QAIHC and Members to help design and roll out a preventative health and wellbeing program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Queensland. QAIHC is consulting on the development of a refreshed, fit-for-purpose version of the established health program, My health for life (MH4L), that is culturally appropriate and meets the needs of participating QAIHC Members and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
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Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is launching a trailblazing new Faculty of Indigenous Knowledge and Culture next year. The faculty will expand QUT’s education and research offerings in Indigenous Knowledges and Culture and provide greater opportunity for students across Australia to attend QUT to study within the faculty alongside all other specialty programs.
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QAIHC has secured $200,000 in funding from Queensland Health and $100,000 from NACCHO to launch a...
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Are you an Indigenous leader in Queensland who is ready to take the next step in their...
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The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) is focusing on the exchange of goods, services, or obligations between related parties. Groups registered with the ACNC must have started reporting these transactions from the beginning of 2023. For many groups, this started on 1 July 2022.
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Iconic Gamilaraay artist Thelma Plum’s highly awaited sophomore album I explores themes of...
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From the bestselling author of Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray (River of Dreams) comes another...
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A bowling alley, two best friends and a ton of zombies. The zombie apocalypse has finally happened...
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The removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families remains a dark...
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Mookai Rosie Bi-Bayan in Cairns has expanded its midwifery service with the launch of the Mookai...
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Sector Leader Magazine is published by the Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC).
We welcome submissions from our Members, Associates and Affiliates on the great work being undertaken within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Health Organisation Sector.
If you would like to contribute story ideas for consideration or comment on items in the current issue, please contact our Communications Team at communications@qaihc.com.au. Previous issues can be viewed online at qaihc.com.au
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned that this publication may contain images or names of people who have passed away.
